


qín & dàqín

by caesarions



Series: WANTON, or, the silk road love triangle [1]
Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: M/M, Multi, Porn With Plot, Possibly Unrequited Love, Reunion Sex, Reunions, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, and by 'possibly' i mean 'yes' so sorry persia, baijiu also makes a surprise appearance, feat. making fun of persian architecture, persia causes the whole plot and gets nothing in return
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-15
Updated: 2017-08-15
Packaged: 2018-12-15 21:25:52
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,489
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11814492
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/caesarions/pseuds/caesarions
Summary: It is the Three Kingdoms era in China, the reign of the first Sasanian shahanshah in Persia, and the reign of the last Severan emperor in Rome. China is originally sent to check on their border outposts with Persia, but Persia finds him and sweeps him away to Ctesiphon to tour the shining, new Sasanian capital. When Persia's second, surprise visitor arrives on time, China is in for a much more emotional trip than he expected.





	qín & dàqín

**Author's Note:**

> TITLE: qin was the founding dynasty of the chinese empire, so china and "great" china, aka the chinese's name for rome. pretty gay, i know.
> 
> HISTORY: sorry if anything is too vague or confusing! i don't know when to be heavy-handed and when not. the details really aren't that important; the history is just present to set up how the nations are feeling at the time, aka china feels bad, man. and if you're wondering why it's a love triangle, you only have to do a simple google search of sino-persian relations to see how one-sided it was, at least until the 600s ad. hint: it involves 20,000 horsemen, lots of musicians, and a hesitant "an avocado... thanks" from the chinese. it's just one more thing for rome and persia to compete about.
> 
> NAMES: i know i don't use yao for aph china. it's more common as a surname, and i haven't found anyone who uses it as a first name, so i decided to pick one that makes more sense to me and fits china's narrative more. if you're curious, min means quick/clever. their human names with meanings are:
> 
> china - wang min (clever king)
> 
> rome - lucius marius priscus romulus (shining; of mars or masculine; ancient; the mythical founder, 'mr. rome')
> 
> persia - ardashir (one whose reign is based on honesty and justice)
> 
> and thank you for reading!

**234 AD, Ctesiphon, Mesopotamia**

* * *

The White Palace was an extremely uninspired name for a palace, Min had quickly decided. When he saw the palace for the first time, Min knew with a unsatisfactory certainness that he had been correct.

He was never supposed to end up here. He had been sent—by which kingdom, he’d honestly forgotten—to check on the most important border outposts. When Ardashir had sensed Min was in his land, he had descended on Min like a hawk, sinking his talons in and dragging his kill all the way to Mesopotamia.

He did not care about Ardashir’s new conquests, and he did not care about Ardashir’s shiny new capital. He briefly considered sneaking away in the night on the march—as soon as the thought popped into his head, Ardashir began to hover around him like carrion crows, which had creeped him out enough to stay.

The worst part was Ardashir was cognizant of Min’s complete ambivalence to his going-ons. Instead of even attempting to boast or tell Min about his recent history, Ardashir made promises of Min picking out his own musicians, comedians, and even prostitutes, if he wanted. He also made the point that Min might not want to be at home right now. 

The _worst_ worst part was that Ardashir was right. Min had been completely useless since the fall of the Han dynasty, taking a backseat—an agonizing, debilitating backseat—to the three competing provinces tearing at each other’s throats. Though he was extremely out of the loop, he knew the Shu had lost and were being pursued by the Wei. He knew the Cao and Sima clans were forming factions and tearing the Wei apart.  

Most importantly, Min knew that he could not sleep at night, and he knew he felt a pain greater than multiple knives being shoved into him with every step he took.

Considering himself an expert on handling civil wars, he was actually quite insulted that this was the bloodiest one by far in his history. It only threw Min off more, pushing him off of a sheer cliff and into a downwards spiral. 

That was how Min ended up reclining on a couch in the royal family’s courtyard. The Zoroastrian emphasis on water meant fountains and pools abound, and they calmed Min, reminding him of his shorelines. As a plus, the greenery was so dense that, sometimes, he couldn't be found.

The courtyard made Min realize he detested the rest of the palace to his very core. Ardashir was extremely proud of something that wasn't him at all. The near-empty, wide rooms had no carved doorways; the entire wall was an entrance and an exit. Everything was connected, and that much seemed like Ardashir, amiable and open as he was. However, that meant Min could never be alone.

It was that and the rest of the palace that Min could not stand. The Persians were extremely proud of their domes and arches, but they were so common that they lost any meaning. Even Shapur I’s vaulted hall, that Ardashir insisted was an _iwan_ , did not impress him, though it was likely the biggest in the world. Even Ardashir’s home, where he was truly staying, was just more apartments topped off with domes.

Ardashir’s home brought him no more joy. It was much smaller, but that meant he ran into Ardashir more often. He couldn't be alone in the courtyard because Ardashir tended the gardens himself. Plus, he wasn't willing to sleep with Ardashir in his own home.

It could have been Min wallowing in his own misery, but Sasanian architecture looked like it was archaic, assembled straight from rock. It emitted severity and power, which meant it was trying too hard. Ctesiphon was supposedly the most decorated city with the fanciest palace, but that wasn't saying much. The effect of the grand halls was attention-grabbing, but it was scarcely beautiful. Ardashir truly never learned.

His personal moping spot for the day was the bridge between two areas, a small audience hall and the apartments—both also domed. Min had no intention on exploring either. In fact, he wasn't quite sure why Ardashir had brought him on his daily errands at all. Min hadn't been introduced to the royal family, nor had he met anyone else. Ardashir had left him to his own devices and disappeared into thin air. Well, in his mind, that just meant he could nap.

Sleep eluded him as always, but Min was on the cusp of both worlds when the purpose of this trip would reveal itself. He was so deprived that he thought it was a dream at best and a vivid auditory hallucination at worst.

Ardashir was the first to raise his voice, which was never uncommon. “Do you like what I've done with the place? I hope so, since you won't be destroying it a _fourth_ time.”

“I’m not here to rate your fucking city,” a voice shot back. “I’m here because you invited me.” A strained pause. “ _And_ because you’re turning a perfectly good emperor into a joke, and we’re trying to focus on the Germans right now.”

“If we _were_ fighting, I would tell you that you're _right_ that Alexander Severus is a complete joke,” Ardashir countered, laced with smug animosity. He turned light in a heartbeat. “But we’re not, so—”

Min felt his skin run so clammy that he double-checked he hadn't fallen into the pool in his stupor. He was only now shedding his grogginess, wiping at his eyes furiously. The Chinese man gripped the back of the couch to lift himself up on suddenly paper-thin arms, his entire frame shaking. His heart was torn between stopping completely, falling from his chest and pooling at his feet, and bursting out of his chest altogether. Min’s mouth was a desert, coupled with panic-stricken labored breaths, as the fickle wind blew the wrong way and blocked some of the conversation. He waited for what seemed like an eternity to an already 2,000-year-old man.

“—And for the record, I hate what you've done with the place.”

When Min could finally stand, he took a few shaky steps before breaking into a feverish run. The rectangular garden went on forever, Min pushing plants out of the way and even losing a shoe in the process. There were only a few marble stairs separating the courtyard from the audience hall, and Min scrambled up them. He pushed himself into the domed hall, scrambling on the slippery floor and breathing heavily, eventually balancing himself with his arms out.

When Min raised his eyes, both men were looking at him. Ardashir looked a bit surprised and worried, his brows furled.

Romulus, on the other hand, had his mood completely changed. His arms, previously crossed in defense, fell uselessly and limply to his sides. Min could see the realization dawn on his face—Romulus’ eyes went wide and round as orbs before scrunching in disbelief. When they began to cloud over, turning wet, Min knew tears were pooling in his own eyes. Both of them stood there, staring at each other with faces frozen in reminiscing.

Ardashir was somewhere in the room. “Guys?”

Eventually, Romulus took a few tremulous steps forward, his sandals falling heavy on the marble floor. The echo of each slap brought something back to Min’s existence; each step spread his smile wider.

When they were close enough, Min reached out a trembling hand for Romulus to take. Romulus kept his palm up as he delicately enclosed Min’s smaller, bonier hand in his. Min glanced down, looking at the contrast in skin color he remembered so well. Min closed his eyes and curled his hand, almost digging his nails into Romulus’ palm. The very same calluses were there, and the very same all-encompassing warmth was there. It was another heartbeat before Min couldn't handle it anymore and turned on his heel to pull Romulus into the courtyard. Of course, he quickly followed, both men leaving Ardashir alone in the audience hall.

They broke into a sprint into the open-air room, Min whispering where they were going. He brought Romulus to a round, center fountain surrounded by tall emerald-green shrubs, separating them completely from the rest of the world. The sun was directly overhead, and they turned to face each other, Min taking in all of Romulus’ contours.

It wasn't long before they both had the same idea, crashing into each other for a bone-crushing hug. A few inches didn't matter at all, so Min bent down to hide his face in the crook of the shorter Romulus’ neck, grabbing fistfuls of Romulus’ tunic. Romulus himself burrowed his nose and chin into Min’s hair, wrapping his arms so tightly around Min that he was lifted off of the ground a few times. They settled into a rocking motion—every time the pair moved, they somehow found a way to press themselves closer together.

It wasn't long before one of Romulus’ hands reached up to Min’s hair, as it always gravitated to it. He undid the topknot with fumbling, jerky movements until Min’s hair tumbled past his shoulders, shining in the sunlight. After, Romulus held the jewelry and pins awkwardly in one hand. Noticing one of Romulus’ arms missing around him, Min grabbed the silver to toss the pieces carelessly on the ground nearby. Min broke into a toothy grin as felt Romulus’ hands entangle themselves in Min’s hair. For once, he didn't care that Romulus was scrunching and tangling it—his world shrank to the feeling of Romulus running his fingers through it and whispering sweet nothings.

He had no idea how long the two of them stood there, trying to become as close as one person, as only the running of water accompanied them. Min only realized a significant amount of time had passed when there were only sticky streaks on his face instead of the flowing tears which had formed damp patches on Romulus’ shoulder. The intensity of the reunion had drained Min completely—but in a good way. He felt light-headed, drowsy, and drunk. If that meant Romulus would be carrying him and sleeping with him, then so be it.

He eventually pulled away, stepping back unsteadily until Romulus centered him with both hands on Min’s hips. Min’s head lulled, finding it difficult to keep his eyes up. He released his death grip on Romulus’ tunic to set a slender hand on Romulus’ cheek. He was surprised to find a full beard under his hand—Min had been so caught up in the whirlwind of emotions that he hadn't even registered any changes in Romulus’ appearance. It was extremely dark with a hint of curl to match his hair. Min dragged his hand across his jaw, eyes squinting.

“You forgot your razor,” Min croaked out, a delirious smile on his face.

“You could say that,” Romulus grinned wildly. “It's becoming more accepted. You should see some of my last emperors.”

“I don't care,” Min laughed. He didn't feel like talking about emperors for at _least_ a few more months. Instead, he pressed their foreheads together as Romulus’ thumb traced circles in his side. “I missed you.”

The only other thing that differed, upon closer inspection, were a few more wrinkles. But they crinkled around his eyes when he smiled; the wrinkles between his brows were almost always there as he gazed on Min with pure affection. Min traced his eyebrow with a finger before falling to stroke his cheek instead. Romulus brushed back a strand of hair that had fallen in Min’s face, tucking his hair behind his ear. Min’s other hand reached up to grab Romulus’, entangling their fingers and resting them on Min’s cheek. Romulus’ smile softened, and the crease between his brows grew more pronounced. “I missed you too.”

 

“How long has it been?” Min asked quietly, using a hand to shield from the sun overhead. For the rest of the reunion, they had somehow stumbled to one of the couches, never letting go of each other—and not forgetting to grab Min’s jewelry and lost shoe on the ground. Now, they had been cuddling and kissing on the couch for what seemed like hours, considering how the sky had shifted.

“I don't know,” Romulus shrugged. He pulled Min closer into his side, situating Min until the sun didn't bother him anymore. “Near twenty years?”

Closing his eyes, Min hummed. He felt a pang of sadness, but since they were together, it didn't matter. “Feels longer.”

“A lot has happened,” Romulus sighed. “I couldn't fit all of it into the letters.”

“You don't even know,” Min chuckled. Even if life had been horrible recently, he could make light of it with Romulus around. As always, Romulus would understand. “We’ll get to it later.”

Romulus hadn't sounded particularly pained, but Min still opened his eyes and pushed himself up. He didn't look like he had either gained or lost weight, but that could be just as bad. “Are you eating enough? How have you been feeling?”

Unexpectedly, Romulus only gave a booming laugh. He wrapped both arms around Min and crushed him against his chest. “You're cute. I missed you.”

“They were genuine questions,” Min huffed petulantly. “ _And_?”

“I’m fine,” Romulus shrugged, placing a kiss on the top of Min’s head. There were heartbeats of silence before he continued. “Do you think he planned this?”

“Ardashir?” Min rolled on his stomach to lean his chin on his hand and face Romulus, resting on his stomach. “He’s dumb, but I guess so. What did he invite you here for?”

“He’s just bitter,” Romulus shrugged. “We couldn't _actually_ reach his capital on our last march, so he's probably just going to poke fun at me. Why are you here?”

“Just a routine visit,” Min pursed his lips. “But then, he noticed I was in Persia and insisted I visit the new capital. He didn't give an excuse, though, so I think you were the reason.”

Romulus grinned like an animal. “I can't believe I have to thank Ardashir for something.”

 

That concept followed Min for the rest of the night. They really did have Ardashir to thank for their entire relationship. Despite Min’s complicated relationship with the man, Ardashir had been the first to mention Romulus in passing. Despite the account being overwhelmingly negative, Ardashir had inadvertently caught Min’s attention by describing how brass and belligerent Romulus was, while their merchants with their goods invoked only a good-hearted people, generous with their gifts. Min had to understand the contradiction for himself, and Ardashir was instrumental in organizing their meeting.

After that, Persia had been responsible for the safe travel between them and getting their letters and gifts sent across empire lines. To his knowledge, Persia hadn’t failed them yet. Ardashir also showed no signs of ever trying to intercept their letters and reading them himself, something Min wouldn’t put past him.

If Ardashir _had_ read their letters, things might have gone over smoother. In the back of his mind, the better part of Min knew Ardashir would be deeply upset by their relationship. However, his reasoning for not telling Ardashir what had happened on his way back the first time had more to do with Min’s natural reticence and less to do with Ardashir’s feelings.

Min physically restrained himself from doing anything at dinner back at Ardashir’s home. He would have given anything for it to be just the two of them, lying on one couch, laughing, and feeding each other grapes like they had at Romulus’. Here, the mood was completely different. They gave each other longing looks from across two separate couches, a space that seemed astronomical. Min’s hair was organized and pulled back again.

Ardashir, as ever, was completely oblivious.

“It is a bit difficult to have the same name as your _shahanshah_ ,” Ardashir continued, swirling the wine in his cup. “How was I supposed to know? He just came out of nowhere. Fantastic guy, though.”

Min was still looking at Romulus as he spoke. “You told me he was usually referred to with his nicknames. You know, _the first_ . _The Unifier_.”

After taking a long drink, Ardashir scratched at his chin. “Well… Yes. But there’s also the district of Veh-Ardashir to the west. I don’t know why Ardashir I wanted that named after him when it’s just a suburbs. Weird, right?”

“Weirder things have happened,” Romulus answered in a monotone voice. He was also resting his chin on his hand, staring at Min with lovesick eyes. Min gave him a coy smile before giggling and hiding it with his wine cup.

“Yeah,” Ardashir sighed, drawn-out and confused. When Min glanced his way, he saw Ardashir’s eyes flitting between both of them as he fiddled with a ring. He almost felt bad for how uncomfortable Ardashir looked, but it was his own fault for not figuring it out sooner.

Ardashir cleared his throat. “How… is the food?”

Min didn't like Persian food. Since it also relied on rice and millet, it was too close to home without giving any warm familiarity. The wine was good, but Min didn't prefer grape wine.

“It's good,” Min shrugged. Romulus nodded along with him. “Yeah, it's fine.”

Ardashir’s face fell. He set his wine cup on the table to instead play with his hands. “That’s good.”

A few minutes passed without anyone saying anything. Min, still thinking he was in a dream from the reunion, hardly even noticed Ardashir clearing his throat again.

“You never told me about your guys’ visit,” Ardashir interrupted. “How did it go?”

A hint of annoyance twisted the corner of Min’s lip. He turned to Ardashir across the table with cold eyes. “It was fine. I didn’t have time to say anything. I stayed longer than I thought I would.” At the last sentence, he looked back over to smile at Romulus.

After laughing, Romulus grinned back. “Yeah, we had a lot of fun. I learned a lot,” he added. Romulus raised his brows as he took a drink. “About the Chinese, I mean.”

“Not about _Chinese_ because your pronunciation is atrocious,” Min said, wagging a finger. He reclined on the couch, positioning himself closer to Romulus. “You still can't pronounce baijiu even though you made us drink it at least once a week.”

“I was _training_ ,” Romulus insisted with a flourish of his arm. “And now I’m extremely experienced in drinking _bai-ji-yu_.”

Min sat up in the couch excitedly. He set his wine cup down to challenge Romulus. “You've probably lost the touch, though. You have to drink it continually to _really_ understand the baijiu.”

“Then give me some!” Romulus sat up, chuckling. “Did you bring any? I'll prove you wrong.”

“Guys, what are you talking about?”

Romulus and Min looked across the table, eyes wide in surprise. Ardashir looked small as reclined on the couch, pouting and looking between them.

“Is that that strong alcohol you had me try?”

Min drew his mouth into a thin line. “Yes, it is.”

Ardashir attempted to perk up. “Oh yeah, I remember that stuff. It was wild. I would totally have some too, though.”

“Uh-huh,” Min nodded. He remembered back to Ardashir drinking baijiu for the first time and throwing up. After three shots, he was already crying and emotional.

Romulus and Min spent the next hours reminiscing about their last time together. A few times, Min would get choked up and have to hide his face in the back of the plush couch. As more and more wine flowed, Ardashir disappeared more and more from the conversation entirely. Min couldn't even remember if Ardashir had ever left the room or not.

Eventually, Min and Romulus were lying on their backs, both holding an arm out to entangle their fingers.

“Hey, uh—” came Ardashir’s voice from the other side of the room. When the pair looked up, Ardashir was pacing back and forth in front of a row of columns. “It’s getting late. Romulus, can we cover a few things? I’ll be busy tomorrow.”

Min pouted, but he was excited at the idea of being alone with Romulus tomorrow. Romulus squeezed Min’s hand before nodding and pulling himself up. “Do your worst. I'm still not a fan of your decorating.”

When Min laughed loudly, Romulus looked back to grin at him, and Ardashir looked back with a deep frown. He sighed, rubbing his forehead. “And Min, you know where your room is. Goodnight.”

Min only gave a lazy wave in response to Ardashir, though he batted his eyelashes at Romulus before winking. When their backs faced him, Min grabbed a pitcher of wine and two cups. He headed back to his room to get ready for the night.

 

When Min heard footsteps padding softly into his room, he rolled over to face the entrance without opening his eyes. He opened his arms widely.

“Hold on, I’m getting undressed,” Romulus whispered into the darkness. Min could hear the shuffling of clothes, but he still whined impatiently.

He heaved himself up into a sitting position instead. “There’s still wine left. I saved half for you.”

“You're too generous,” Romulus chuckled, pouring a cup for himself. He sat heavily next to Min, and Min snaked both of his arms around Romulus’ and smiled. “How did your meeting with Ardashir go?”

“We didn't talk about all that much, actually,” Romulus responded with a shrug. He held the wine cup up for Min to take a drink, but Min pouted at him until Romulus did all the work for him, tilting it while holding Min’s chin. He laughed again before adding, “He’s more hostile than usual to me, and that's saying a lot. Has he said anything to you?”

“Who cares?” Min wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. “Talking about him is ruining the mood.”

Romulus downed the rest of the glass before continuing. His eyebrows raised dangerously. “Oh, there's a mood now?”

“Why else am I naked?” Min punched his shoulder playfully—it actually hurt his knuckles quite a bit. Min desperately wished there was more than one dim lamp in the room so they could look at each other. Min wanted to remember every part of Romulus.That only gave them an excuse to have sex in the morning, too. “Just for fun?”

After Romulus put the empty cup back on the dresser, Min expected a kiss from him. Instead, Romulus returned to tackle him to the bed in one swift movement. Min giggled as his head fell back onto the plush pillows with a thump, and his laughter only greatened when Romulus began peppering his cheeks, jaw, and neck with kisses.

“Your beard is scratchy,” Min protested light-heartedly, grabbing Romulus’ face with both hands, since that was the only way to make him stop.

Romulus harrumphed and pressed their noses together. “Are you never happy?”

“Oh, you mistake me,” Min said, pressing a hand to his own chest and feigning offense. “I never said it was a _bad_ thing.”

The two happily returned to kissing for a long period of time. As always, they mostly focused on each other’s hair. Min was also a fan of Romulus running his rough, callused hands across Min’s neck and collarbone. His hands were scarred and brutish, but his touches were as tender as a timid child’s—Min loved the contrast. Romulus tasted familiar, exactly like he remembered. They eventually kept one pair of hands intertwined, poised gently on a nearby pillow.

Min did not know how long they had been going for when Ardashir walked in. It must have been fairly short if they were being quiet enough for Ardashir to not notice—he was a lot of things, including daft, but he wasn't a voyeur.

Romulus’ bulky chest blocked all of Min’s vision as Romulus leaned over him, so it wasn't him that noticed Ardashir in the doorway. Since his eyes were closed and his mouth hanging open, it was likely he wouldn't have noticed even if Romulus wasn't above him. He only had an inkling something was wrong when Romulus stopped thrusting and stilled completely.

Min’s head lolled back, his eyelids feeling like stone. Only one managed to open, his breathing hard. “Why’d you—?”

Even in the dark, Min could see the utter shock on Romulus’ face. When Min looked to the left, the same horror crept into his own expression. Gasping, he quickly wrapped his arms around Romulus’ torso, lifting himself up to hide his body. He was more annoyed than anything else, his lips curling in disgust—he hadn't invited Ardashir to see him like this.

Curse these open rooms.

Ardashir’s expression was a little different, more than the simple horror that came with being an accidental voyeur. His eyebrows tilted downwards and his mouth twisted, caught between angry betrayal and crestfallen acceptance. He was holding another lamp, so Min could see everything play out on his face, well-lit for theatrics.

Min rolled his eyes and was the first to speak. His chest was still rising up and down. “Yes?”

Ardashir was clamming up and shrinking back. “I— I’m sorry—”

The Chinese man wasn't surprised he hadn't left yet, since that just meant Ardashir had more to say—he always did. “Out with it.”

He started much sooner and faster than Min expected. “When Romulus left, I realized I hadn't told him where he could stay,” he agonized between sharp intakes. Ardashir was now looking anywhere but the two of them, his bowl-shaped eyes darting around feverishly.

“Well, you don't have to,” Romulus told him bluntly. He ran his fingers through Min’s hair and kissed his forehead for emphasis. Min gave a saccharine smile directed at Ardashir in response, his cheeks aching with the effort.

“I see that now.” Ardashir bowed his neck awkwardly, tripping on a stair in his hasty exit. He collected himself panickedly, and Min _almost_ felt bad again before Ardashir scrambled ungracefully down the hall like panicked livestock.

Just as he began to leave, Min released his iron grip to fall back onto the bed. Romulus wasted no time in repositioning himself and running warm hands down Min’s stomach. When Romulus leaned up to start leaving lovebites on Min’s neck, Min completely forgot that Ardashir had even been there at all.

“Do you think we should invite him to a threesome?” Romulus asked when they had finished. In the high of their afterglow, Min laughed wildly.

“He's not that bad,” Min relented, his voice high. “Tall _and_ stocky, somehow.”

“ _Too_ tall,” Romulus whispered. “His dick was fine, though. I would be okay with it.”

“I would too,” Min sighed. Though, to be fair, he agreed to a surprising amount of things while curled up in Romulus’ embrace. Especially in this position, tucked into Romulus’ chest, with one arm slung behind Min’s back and one running up and down his side sensually. Even if they were sweaty, Min wanted them to be together, especially after craving Romulus’ touch for almost 20 years. They really _did_ need to thank Ardashir—

Min opened his eyes with a gasp. When nothing else happened, Romulus raised his head to look at him. “What's wrong, _cara_?”

“Nothing’s wrong,” Min insisted, popping up excitedly. He planted his arms on the sides of Romulus’ chest and looked down at him with a wild grin. “I just had an idea.”

“Okay, I’m listening.” Romulus began to twirl a strand of Min’s hair.

“I should come back with you,” Min exclaimed before Romulus could even finish. “I mean, maybe not right now, if you’re busy. I kind of don't have a lot. But I need to come back. I might not want to be at home right now.”

Though his entire spiel had been exuberant, Romulus latched onto the last part and lifted a hand to stroke Min’s cheek. His brows furrowed in worry. “What's wrong? Is it worse than you described in the letters? Have you gotten hurt?”

It was going to be a long explanation, so Min hopped off of the bed to pour them two more glasses of wine. Settled into comfortable sitting positions, Romulus kept a supportive arm around Min as he launched into the explanation of his bloodiest civil war—still ongoing. He coped with self-deprecating humor, but Romulus didn't buy it, and instead shook Min’s shoulder and buried his face into Min’s hair whenever the story got especially rocky.

More wine glasses in, Min sincerely doubted Romulus had followed the entire delicate politics of the situation. However, Romulus was now worried enough to keep both arms around Min, trapping him in the same bone-crushing hug as before.

“You should have told me earlier,” Romulus insisted politely, without any reprimand. “You know you're welcome whenever you want. We can even leave Italy this time. I don't care if you stay until you get an entirely new dynasty.”

“Oh, I wish,” Min moaned genuinely, burying his head in Romulus’ shoulder. “I'm not that irresponsible, but I really would. I don't even want to know what's going on at home.” He looked up at Romulus with a pained expression. “I only want to stay with you.”

For a while, he kept himself hidden and shrunken in Romulus’ side as Romulus rocked them back and forth. Min was suddenly hit with the realization that he hadn't thought about the Three Kingdoms at all in his time this day with Romulus. Even when he had been telling the stories, Min handled it without feeling the usual pain of knives being shoved into him.

Eventually, drops of water made their way through Min’s hair. Min was about to look up for a leak when moving his head produced the vision of a teary-eyed Romulus.

Min was immediately thrown off; though he almost never cried, it came easier to him than Romulus. Romulus hadn't cried their entire visit, to the best of Min’s memory. Romulus himself had described himself as an angry crier. He was so shaken up that all he managed was a choked noise and a half-hearted attempt to set his hand on Romulus’ jaw. Luckily, Romulus clasped it in his own and nuzzled into it. His sniffling began to grow in volume. “Sorry, I—I want to stay with you too,” he croaked out. “Why can't we? Why is it so far?”

“Oh, Romulus,” he whispered. Min had immediately turned off his previous melancholy and switched into a doting mode. Now, seeming to have no problems himself, he leaned the shorter man into him to cradle his head against his chest. Min shushed quietly as he massaged the curls, holding Romulus still until his convulsions stopped. He whispered sweet nothings like “I know, I know” in an attempt at comfort.

It wasn't a long cry, nor was it particularly eventful. It was fairly dry after the few drops on Min’s head. However, Min held him through the entire thing and for very long after.

When they had both calmed down, Romulus lied lax against him. It was a struggle to get the empty wine cups to even the floor. One possibly fell over, but Min was more focused at the task at hand. He pulled them both down into a lying position, Romulus’ head still tucked into his chest and Min curling around him. Romulus looked completely at peace, though his posture was a little tight to be relaxed. Min massaged his shoulders until Romulus eventually began to fall languid.

Min pressed his lips to Romulus’ forehead. “Better?”

He received a vague nod in response. Min hadn't answered any of his questions, but those were better left for another day. Plus, most of them were rhetorical—they both knew why they couldn't be together constantly, and they both resented it beyond measure.

“We can plan it out in the morning,” Min promised. After the crucial sex, but that was implied, of course. “Talk about our schedules. What to do.”

Romulus nodded groggily, opening his eyes slightly to look up at Min. In the darkness, the only detail Min could see was the crinkle between his brows again. Min stroked it with his thumb, fully aware he was giving Romulus the very same look of adoration.

“But we’re not leaving, right?” Romulus asked. “Not without the threesome.”

Min pretended to be offended, gasping a few times before giving in and reversing to a booming laugh. It was hard not to while looking at Romulus’ shit-eating grin as Romulus played with his hair.

Min pinched his cheek playfully once. After, continuing to cradle Romulus’ head with both hands, Min leaned down to give Romulus a chaste kiss on the nose. His mood bubbling and jovial, his heart felt lighter than ever after nearly two decades of abuse. He answered in a light tone as his shoulders sagged, sleep catching up with them. “No, not without the threesome."


End file.
